Dark Bones Walking
by Tanooki Roxx
Summary: After a fatal accident, Mario wakes up from a coma to find himself in a post-apocalyptic world overrun with mutant Dry Bones.
1. Careful What You Wish For

A/N: This fic is based off of The Walking Dead series.

Dark Bones Walking

By Tanooki Roxx

Chapter 1: Careful what you wish for

It was a beautiful summer afternoon in the Mushroom Kingdom. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and everyone was in a cheerful mood. Basically, it was the perfect day or so one would assume…

The Mario Brothers decided to take advantage of the pleasant weather and retreat to the Mushroom River, which was a few miles north of Goomba Village. Luigi was doing backstrokes in the cool, crisp lake. Mario sat at the edge of the bank looking down at his reflection with his bare feet dangling off the edge.

Luigi looked up and noticed his brother staring absent mindly at his own reflection in deep thought. This behavior was quite unusual for his big brother so he decided to inspect further.

"Weegie!" Mario hollered as he felt a splash of cold lake water hit him in the face.

"C'mon in bro the water's nice!"

"Nah..I think I'll pass," Mario said still looking at his reflection.

Luigi swam up to the bank and pulled himself up so he could sit beside his brother.

"Something wrong bro? I mean you have been awfully quiet today," Luigi asked gently.

"Well it's just.." Mario hesitated. "Do you ever wish that things could be different?"

Luigi scratched his head. "What do you by that?"

"Like you know what life would be like if we were still in Brooklyn or how things would be if we were not the 'SUPER' Mario Brothers."

Luigi began to get a little nervous at this comment. He had never heard his brother say such things.

"Where are you going with this?" Luigi gulped.

"I'm just saying I'm fed up with it all Weegie! I'm just burnt out from always having to be the hero," Mario heaved a heavy sigh as he stood up.

Luigi gasped. "Bro what are you saying? You have a great life! Lots of people would kill to be in your shoes! Luigi exclaimed.

"Great life?" Mario snorted. "Sure if you call spending every moment of your life constantly saving a princess from a dim-witted dragon, then yeah it's a dream come true!" Mario snapped.

Luigi remained quiet but stared intently at Mario.

"Its been almost 31 years of the same mundane bullshit! I can't enjoy a Mario Party, go on vacation, or spend time with Peach without some obstacle…mostly Bowser ruining my day!"

"Well at least your life's never boring," said Luigi trying to make light of the situation.

"True. I don't want a boring life… I'm just sick of saving the princess 365 days a year, 24 a day, 7 days a week! It's been 31 years and yet we still haven't even made it to second base for Pete's sake!"

Luigi blushed at such an awkward statement.

"I do love Peach but I don't know I'm just tired of everybody depending on 'SUPER' Mario to always save the day. I need a break too."

"I think your being selfish," Luigi finally spoke up.

"Maybe I am but I just wish things would be drastically different than they are now."

"Mario don't say that! Remember what Mama used to say!" Luigi scolded. "Careful what you wish for because you might just get it!"

"One can certainly hope so."

Suddenly a rustle in the bushes caused both brothers to jump up.

"What was that?" Luigi asked gesturing towards the western side of the forest.

Mario shrugged it off. "Probably just a Goomba or something…anyways we better go get ready for yet another one of Peach's infamous parties…I wonder what time she'll get kidnapped today."

Luigi just sighed as he slipped his clothes on over his green swimming trunks.

About an hour or so later Mario and Luigi had made their way up to the castle grounds. Mario was still in a pretty bad mood. In fact, he spent the whole walk to the castle ranting about how he never gets to enjoy the parties in peace.

"Look Bro I know your not in a good mood but try not to rain on everyone's parade today Ok?" Luigi said as he knocked on the castle door.

Toadsworth answered the door before Mario could make a comment.

"Ahh Master Mario…Master Luigi always a pleasure to see you both!"

"I'm sure." Mario grumbled as he pushed past the old Toad and headed for the ballroom.

"Well I do say! What on earth has gotten into Master Mario?"

"Don't worry about him Toadsworth. He's just having one of those days."

The ballroom was decked out in red and blue streamers. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves on the dance floor. Peach was busy chatting with many of the locals. As soon as she spotted Mario she smiled and gestured for him to join her. Since Mario wasn't in much of a socializing mood he decided to stand near the punch table just to appear busy in case someone wanted to make small talk. Unfortunately, this did not stop anyone from approaching Mario.

Meanwhile on the other side of the room Luigi, DK, Wario and Rosalina were having their own conversation.

"Oh my god! Did you guys hear about those three sisters that went missing just outside of the BeanBean Kingdom?" asked Rosalina.

"Oh yeah what did they call themselves again? The Traveling Sisters Three or something stupid like that," said Wario as he gulped down another glass of punch.

"The traveling sisters went missing! When did this happen!" Luigi exclaimed.

"Dude, it was all over the news today don't you watch TV?" DK asked.

"I was down by the Mushroom River all day today so I haven't had a chance to watch the news."

"They were last seen walking towards Stardust Fields, a few locals heard some horrific screams but they have yet to find the sisters."

"Those poor girls. I hope they're alright," said Rosalina sadly.

"What the heck is with Mario?" Daisy blurted out as she walked up to the group.

"Yeah he's not his usual cheerful self today. All he's done since he arrived is stand beside the punch table looking pessimistic," added Yoshi as he joined in on the conversation.

"Yeah I don't know what's going on with him today," said Luigi.

"Daisy and I tried to talk to him but he…" Yoshi froze as he spotted Birdo standing in the corner of the room watching him.

"Birdo!" Birdo then turned and headed straight for the door.

"Birdo! Wait up! Please we need to talk!" Yoshi yelled out as he chased after her.

"I take it Birdo is having a bad day too?" Luigi asked.

"Yoshi dumped her a few days ago," Daisy whispered.

Meanwhile Mario was being followed around the castle like groupies follow rockstars. Every where he turned someone was asking him for an autograph, personal favor, or both. Finally, Mario had a bait of it.

"SHUT UP!" The music came to a stop as everyone turned their full attention to Mario.

"JUST LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!" Mario screamed as he stormed past the crowd up to Peach's private chambers.

Everyone was so taken aback by Mario's sudden outburst that everyone stood in awe.

"Heh heh heh now the party is finally starting to get good," Waluigi said as he walked over towards Wario.

"I better go talk to him," said Luigi.

"No Luigi."

Luigi turned around to face the Mushroom Kingdom princess.

"I'll go talk to him."

Mario busted open Peach's bedroom doors to find Toad and Toadette making out on the coach.

They both jumped up in fear.

"Umm sorry didn't know this room was occupied." Mario said as he walked in anyway.

"It's cool we were just about to watch TV," Toad said nervously as he grabbed the remote.

Toadette was too embarrassed to speak so she just nodded in agreement as the TV turned on.

"This just in the bodies of the missing toad girls known as the Traveling Sisters Three were found decapitated in the center of Stardust Fields. The three sisters were reported missing earlier today when locals heard screams coming from the field. Police spent hours trying to find the girls. Reporter Kylie Koopa has the story," said a Toad anchorman.

The screen showed a young female koopa standing in front of Stardust Fields.

"Thank you Glynn. I'm standing in front of Stardust Fields where just hours ago a brutal murder took place. The bodies of three young toad girls were found with strange claw and bite marks. Police believe this to be the work of some kind of rabid animal. The body parts are being taken to the Mushroom Health Center for further investigation. Until further notice Stardust Fields will remain closed off from the public. This is Kylie Koopa, Channel 64 News."

"I was really good friends with them," said Toadette as she started to cry.

"Mario…can I talk to you?" Peach said as she stood outside her bedroom door.

Mario walked out of the room leaving Toad to comfort an emotional Toadette.

Mario and Peach walked out on the balcony. It was so peaceful looking out over the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Peach…I'm sorry for causing such a scene back there."

"What's the matter Mario? It's not like you to act this way."

"Do you ever wonder what our true purpose in life could be?"

"Well no I was brought up to become the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. I've never questioned my place before. Why do you ask?"

Mario sighed. "I don't know what I'm supposed to be any more. I thought for years it was a plumber but now everyone says it's a hero. I liked that role for a while but now it's just overrated. I really miss the simple life."

"So you regret saving me?"

"No! I wouldn't trade meeting you for the world. I just wish we could run away," Mario said as he grabbed Peach's hands.

"Yeah that would be nice…to leave all our responsibilities behind us…just the two of us," Peach said dreamily.

The couple leaned in to share a passionate kiss until Peach was pulled off the balcony by Bowser.

"Oh for cryin out loud can't you take a break just once in your life?" Mario yelled in frustration.

Bowser laughed as he held on to Peach in his flying clown car. "Gwa ha haha Mario prepare to.."

"Yeah Yeah Yeah skip the cheesy dialogue and let's get right to the battle." Mario said dully.

"Sorry you'll have to come to my castle party for that." Bowser said laughing as he flew off.

Mario raced down the castle stairs only to be met with a panicking crowd.

"Mario its just awful the princess has been kidnapped!" Everyone yelled in unison.

"Well no shit Sherlock" Mario yelled as he pushed through the crowd and headed for the nearest warp pipe.

"I better go with him. His head's not in the game today." Luigi said to Daisy.

"I'm comin with you!" the tomboy princess replied.

Meanwhile at Bowser's castle.

Bowser stood at the top of his roof with Peach and Kammy Koopa.

"Gwa hahahaha my castle is heavily guarded I'd like to see Mario make it to the top."

"Give it up already Bowser! I mean Mario ALWAYS wins," said Peach.

"Not this time! I have a little surprise in store for him."

"I'm ready for my surprise Bowser." Mario said as she stood face to face with the koopa king.

"Ahh how did you get here so fast?"

"Please Bowser your traps are sooooooooo predictable. I mean my grandma can scheme better than you."

"Well it just so happens I have something that will finally make me victorious! Prepare to go out with a bang." Bowser said overdramatically as he pushed a button on his remote.

A loud BOOM was heard.

"Errr I didn't mean literally" Bowser said looking around as his castle began to violently shake.

"Umm your nastiness was this part of your plan?" Kammy Koopa asked as the castle began to crumble.

"What! You designed this thing! You tell me what's going on!" Bowser yelled.

Windows began to burst open as fire engulfed the whole castle.

"What's that noise?" Daisy asked as she jumped out of the warp pipe.

"The castle is going to explode!" Luigi yelled as he pointed to Bowser's castle.

"We need to get out of here NOW!" Kammy Koopa screamed. Just as she was about to take off, the spot of the roof she was near had exploded.

"Shit! I'm out of here" Bowser hollered as he grabbed Peach and attempted to escape.

"Mario!"

Mario ran to grab her but it was too late Bowser had already flown off a good distance until a piece of his castle collided with his clown car.

Luckily, they were both not very far from the ground.

"Well that hurt…" Bowser said as he tried to pull himself up.

"Peach! Peach! Speak to me!" Daisy screamed as she rushed over to her fallen friend.

"I'm fine…where's Mario" Peach responded weakly.

Mario was still trapped on top of the castle. He couldn't escape. This was going to be it…

One last BOOM sent Mario flying sky high.

"MARIOOOOOOOOOOOOO! " Luigi screamed.

Everything was moving in slow motion for Mario as he came crashing towards the ground.

He saw his life flash before his eyes.

All of his adventures were slipping past him. Memories, friends, and everything were ceasing to exist.

All he could think about was what Luigi said to him earlier that day.

"Careful what you wish for because you might just get it."

Mario then crashed to the ground.

Everything went black…he could hear garbled screams and cries and then it was silent.

EOC.

Sorry for such a long intro chapter! I wanted to cram everything in one big chapter instead of busting it up in several mini chapters. This way I can jump straight into the plot : )


	2. The World Will Be Upside Down

Chapter 2: The World Will Be Upside Down

Mario was rushed to the Mushroom Medical Hospital in downtown Mushroom City. Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, DK, Toad, Birdo, Toadette, and Rosalina waited for hours in the lobby until the doctor finally came out. He wasted no time in explaining Mario's critical condition. He was in a coma and there was a high possibility that he would not make it through the night.

Much to everyone's surprise, Mario did make it through the night and many more afterwards. Every day Mario's friends came to visit in hopes of positive news. Unfortunately, nothing ever changed and Mario remained in his coma for several years.

Mario could still hear and see his friends when they came to visit. It was more like he was trapped inside a movie theater in his mind. As he watched the images of his friends, he would try desperately to call out to them even though they could never hear him.

"Hey bro…its me…things are O.K., We are thinking _*sniff*_ about getting *_sniff*_ the gang together for a…a…MmmmARIO PAAARTYY," Luigi wailed out. This was about how most of Luigi's visits turned out. He would try to keep it together but always ended up breaking out into hysterical sobs. About this time a nurse would have to escort him out of the room.

"_Luigi!...Be strong little brother!"_ Mario would try to call out to him. It was always the same. No matter how hard he tried it never worked. Nobody ever heard him and he couldn't wake up from this eternal nightmare.

Another image of Wario, Waluigi, and Daisy appeared. Wario and Waluigi stood bored with their arms crossed. It was obvious that Daisy had forced them into showing up.

"Hey Mario…we just came to let you know that we know your gonna pull through!" Daisy said enthusiastically.

"_I'm trying Daisy. I really miss you guys," Mario said in his subconscious._

"This is pointless it's not like he can actually see or hear us," Waluigi complained.

Daisy shot him an evil look then turned her attention back to Mario.

"Come on Mario…we all miss you terribly…Luigi's seeking therapy… and the Peach is…" Daisy said as she started to get teary eyed.

"I wonder who's winning the game…" Waluigi said as he tried to grab the television remote off of the table next to Mario. Daisy then smacked Waluigi upside the head.

"OW! Hey! Well its not like he can watch it or anything!"

"Do you think we can order room service from up here? I'm starved!" Wario randomly said. Daisy then turned around and smacked him upside the head.

"OW! What did I say?"

The image then faded into black.

"_Daisy! Wait! Don't go! What about Peach?"_

A distorted image of Peach appeared before Mario. Her voice faded in and out so Mario could barely understand what she was saying.

"Mario things have gone…so lonely without you…everyone tried…..miss you…Bowser came and…It was all over the news…Merlon then…getting sick….terrible….they left and…."

The last part of Peach's message was all Mario could hear loud and clear.

"Please Mario come back to me!" Peach cried out. Mario could see her tears falling down her cheek. He had never seen the princess so upset like this before in his life.

"Don't worry Peach I promise I'll come back to you," Mario said softly as a white light shown brightly in Mario's mind.

Mario opened his eyes to find himself in a hospital room. It took Mario a few minutes for his eyes to fully adjust to his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the large wall clock in front of him. The clock had stopped at 7:05. Mario then noticed dead flowers on various colored vases all around his room.

"_Well that's strange," _Mario thought to himself. He looked over to his left and noticed something even more strange. He was hooked up to an empty IV and his life support machine had been turned off. Judging by the dust collecting on top of it; the machine had been turned off for quite some time.

"Nurse!" he called out hoarsely. No answer. Mario then leaned over to press the red call button beside his bed. Still no answer. He then freed himself from the IV and life support machine and tried to get out of the bed. After stumbling around, Mario managed to make his way over to the mini bathroom a few feet away from his bed. He turned on the faucet and started to splash the water on his face. As he looked in the mirror he hardly recognized himself. He was dressed in a stained lime green hospital gown. He also had grown a bushy, black beard.

"Mama Mia! How long have I been here?" Mario exclaimed. "And where is the nurse?" Mario then had a bad feeling in his gut that something was definitely not right here. He stumbled out of the bathroom and headed straight for the door. He opened the door and stepped right in the hallway.

"What happened here?" Mario asked quietly to himself. The whole hospital wing looked like a wreck. Stretchers, wheelchairs, tables, and carts were blocking doorways and scattered randomly around. Most of the lights were out. Only a few dimly lit bulbs lit up the hallway. Mario tried to navigate his way around the maze of stretchers and wheelchairs.

"Hello? Is anybody here?" Mario called out.

Mario waited for an answer but all he heard in reply was a _THUD... THUD_ sound coming from the west wing. Mario proceeded down that path towards the sound. At the end of the hallway the doors were sealed shut by chains. DO NOT OPEN was painted in red across the doors.

Mario could hear moaning and scratching noises on the other side. It sounded like something demonic was trying to bust through the chained doors. Mario was too far in a weakened state to investigate what was on the other side. Instead he turned around and headed towards the eastern wing of the hospital. At the end of the eastern wing was a receptionist desk in a glass dome. Most of the glass had been shattered so Mario could easily get through. He stepped over the broken glass to get to the telephone.

He lifted the phone to his left ear and started dialing 911. He waited a few moments but ended up slamming the phone down in frustration when he couldn't hear a dial tone.

Mario saw elevators not too far from him and started making his way towards it. Even though the power was out he still pressed the down button in hope.

"Come on…come on…please open!" Nothing happened. *sigh* "Now what am I gonna do?" Mario asked no on in particular as he slumped down on the floor. As he looked up he noticed the doorway leading to the stairs. Mario immediately bolted upright and made his way to the door. He pushed open the door and began to slowly make his way down the pitch dark stairway. Since he was on the 13th floor it felt like an eternity in darkness before he finally made it to the bottom. Eventually, Mario was able to push through the emergency exit and stepped into the bright sunlight.

The light was far too bright for Mario's eyes to start with so he closed his eyes for a brief moment before he proceeded down the pathway to the Mushroom Highway. Mario froze in fear when he made it to the edge of the highway.

"WHERE THE HELL IS EVERONE!"

Mario hardly recognized Mushroom City. The highway was backed up with abandoned cars, most of the buildings were vandalized, graffiti and trash decorated the city, and worst of all there was no one to be found anywhere.

"How long have I been gone! Did the world come to end? Oh my God! What if I'm the last person on earth?" Mario began to panic. "No, everything's fine as soon as I go home it'll all be just like it was before I left." Mario said trying to calm himself down before he could have am anxiety attack.

"Nothing's changed….nothing's changed…everything's fine" Mario kept repeating this over and over as he raced back to Toad Town. He smiled as he approached the entrance to the town.

"Good ole peaceful Toad Town just like it always was with its nice houses and lively…WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED HERE!" Mario shrieked.

The streets of Toad Town were filled with the dead bodies of Toads, Koopas, Goombas and Shy Guys.

Mario held his hands over his mouth. He did not know whether to scream in horror or hurl from the stench of rotting corpses. Mario turned and rushed towards the nearest warp pipe only to discover it was sealed shut.

"Damnit!" Mario screamed as he tried to pry open the sealed entrance to the warp pipe. He finally gave up and just ran up the pathway to his house.

"Please Luigi be there and be alive!"

When Mario approached his house he noticed the front door was wide open.

"LUIGI!" Mario called as he ran inside the house. He looked around and saw that it looked like someone had broken in and trashed the place. The furniture was turned over and broken pieces of glass was all over the house.

"Luigi! Where are you? Answer me damnit! Please tell me this is some kind of sick prank!" Mario screamed out as he frantically started searching the house for some kind of sign.

"This can't be happening. It's not real. That's it! I'm dreaming! It's just a horrible nightmare and when I open my eyes everything will be back to normal." Mario said as he closed his eyes and started hitting himself upside the head.

He opened his eyes only to find himself still in his wrecked house with no sign of his brother.

"Wake up! Wake up!" It was no use no matter how hard he tried he couldn't wake up from reality.

Mario felt a sharp pain in his chest and fell to the floor. He was having an anxiety attack.

"Get it together Mario! You have been in tight jams before and it always worked out for you in the end! Yeah, it's just like every single adventure you've ever been on. There is always a happy ending." Mario said trying to calm himself down. When he was finally stabilized he got up slowly and made his way to the kitchen.

He searched the empty refrigerator and cabinets for something to eat. _Food always helps during a crisis,_ he thought to himself. He was ready to give up hope until he found a couple of dried shrooms in the back of a cabinet. It wasn't much but he was in no condition to be picky. After he ate he made his way back into his bedroom. He saw a picture of Princess Peach lying on the floor.

He picked it up and examined it closely. He suddenly felt that same bad feeling in his gut he had back at the hospital.

"Peach…." Before Mario took off out of his house he realized he was still dressed in his hospital gown.

"I better make sure I'm stocked up on supplies first."

He searched under his bed and was relieved to find that his tool bag was still there. Most of the tools were gone but it contained: 4 fire flowers, chains, his trusty hammer, and an invincibility star. Better than nothing.

Next, he opened his closet door to find an extra red shirt, blue overalls, red M cap, and brown shoes. After getting dressed he went into the bathroom. Most of the supplies had been taken out of the cabinet but Mario had found a razor and a half empty can of shaving cream left on the floor. He grabbed the supplies and gave himself a fresh shave.

"Now that's the Super Mario I know," he said proudly as he looked himself over in the mirror.

Before he left he grabbed the photo of Peach.

"Don't worry Peach. I promised that I would come back to you and I will," he said as he tucked the photo in his pocket and headed out the front door towards the warp pipe.

"Why are all the warp pipes sealed off?" Mario asked in frustration as he once again unsuccessfully tried to pry the metallic covering off the entrance.

"Ugh. I guess I'll just have to walk," Mario deadpanned as he dreaded the thought of coming across all of those dead bodies again.

But what Mario didn't know was that once he got to the castle those dead bodies were going to be the least of his worries…

EOC.

The next chapter will be action packed. Originally, I was going to include the castle chapter here and just have a super long chapter 2 but decided that it would be best to break them up.


	3. Close Encounter

Chapter 3: Close Encounter

Mario stood for what seemed like hours in front of the castle gate. Hesitation ceased all movements. For 31 years he had been the confident hero. He could look danger in the eye without even blinking. Now, for the first time he wasn't so sure that he wanted to face what was beyond that gate. He could see the castle pathway through the gate. The sight of all those dead bodies in Toad Town still sent chills down Mario's spine.

"For the Princess," he said softly as he pushed open the gate. He walked up the pathway dreading what would lie ahead of him. He came to a halt as he reached the front of the castle.

"Mama Mia!" was all Mario managed to say about the gruesome sight in front of him.

Hundreds of dead Toad soldiers were scattered all around the castle grounds. It looked like World War III happened right outside Peach's castle. Despite all the warning signals going off in Mario's head, he knew there was no going back now.

He walked cautiously towards the caste doors stepping over body parts in the process. He had to stop a few times to hurl from the overwhelming rotting corpse smell that lingered in the air.

"Grambi be with me," he whispered as he finally approached the castle door.

The handle was locked with a chain and padlock. Mario pulled his hammer out of his tool bag and began whacking the lock. After several powerful hits the lock fell to the ground. Mario pushed open the door and stepped into the dimly lit castle.

The once beautiful castle now looked more like a creepy dungeon. The place was decorated in cob webs and dust bunnies. The smell of mildew filled the air. The only light source came from the torches that lined all throughout the walls. The torches would come on whenever the castle's main power was down. Over all, the entire castle looked abandoned. It didn't appear that anyone lived in it for many years.

"Peach!" Mario screamed out. All he could hear in response was the echo of his voice bouncing off the walls.

"Toadsworth!….Toad!…Toadette!…anyone!"

Mario couldn't hold back anymore. He fell to his knees and began to sob hysterically.

"I just don't understand. What has happened here? SOMEONE ANWSER ME!" he cried out desperately looking up towards the heavens.

Suddenly, an eerie zombie-esque moan could be heard to the left of Mario. Mario jumped up to a fighting stance. He was met with two bright red eyes that shown in the darkness.

"Who are you?" Mario asked with clenched fists.

The creature didn't answer but shuffled closer to Mario.

"If it's a fight you want then I'll take you on right now cause I'm Super Mario!" Mario yelled out feeling his old confidence returning back in him.

The creature had now shuffled into a lit area in front of Mario.

"A Dry Bones….really?"

Only, Mario couldn't help but notice this Dry Bones was far different than any ordinary Dry Bones. This Dry Bones was solid black with piercing red eyes and sharp dagger like teeth. Its mouth was drooling as if it was craving Mario's flesh. The creature was now making noises like a rabid dog.

Before Mario could comment the Dry Bones had charged full force at him.

Mario leaped in the air and came down on top of its head with a stylized jump attack. The creature barely flinched but retaliated by knocking Mario into the wall.

"Geez, this thing is strong," Mario groaned as he reached for his hammer.

The Dry Bones had then lunged forward knocking Mario to the ground. The Dry Bones was right on top of him trying to take a bite out of his neck. Mario swung his hammer in fury to block the oncoming attacks. His hammer attacks had no effect on the Dry Bones but it did stun it enough so Mario could pull himself back on his feet.

Mario reached for a fire flower next. He conjured up with all his might a large, powerful fireball that was sure to destroy any enemy. The fireball had no effect on it at all. Mario shot out a series of fireballs next. The creature still kept charging towards Mario like nothing had even happened.

"What? That's impossible! None of my attacks are working! How am I suppose to…" Mario asked in fear as he jumped out of the way barely dodging another oncoming attack.

Suddenly, a chorus of demonic moans and growls echoed all around the castle. Mario looked around and noticed hundreds of red eyes were all around him.

"Shit…" Mario panicked.

He was completely surrounded and there was no escape. Mario grabbed his invincibility star just in time as all the Dry Bones lunged at once at him. He pushed his way through the crowd to make his way up the stairs. The invincibility wore off as soon as he reached the second floor.

Mario took off down a hallway with the herd of Dry Bones hot in pursuit. He was on alert at every intersection. He planned to keep on a straight path until a random Dry Bones jumped out of a room to his left. Mario swerved to the right to avoid contact and headed down the right wing. Three more Dry Bones were blocking the path in front of him at the end of that hall. He skidded to a complete stop nearly falling face first to the ground. He turned and headed down the hallway to his immediate left.

He maneuvered his way around a couple of more Dry Bones until he made it to the third set of stairs. Mario started to feel lightheaded as he tried to run upstairs. Hunger, exhaustion, and stress were starting to take its toll on his body. He stopped for a brief second to catch his breath. His vision was trying to become distorted.

"No, I refuse to give in. I have to keep going… no matter what," he said as he fought to stay focused.

He didn't have too much time to rest because the herd was only a few steps behind him. Mario forced himself to keep moving up the torch lit stairway. He could hear the Dry Bones panting heavily just a few inches behind him. He kept climbing until he reached the very top of the castle.

Princess Peach's private chamber was just ahead. He knew he would be somewhat safe if he could just make it to the other side of the hallway. He slid across the hallway into the room like a baseball player coming to home plate. Once inside, Mario slammed the door shut and pushed a nearby table in front of it.

_What am I going to do?_ Mario thought as he frantically began searching the room for weapons or a possible escape route. He was having no luck finding anything useful. Loud bangs could be heard on the other side of the door. He was running out of time. He knew that table wouldn't hold them off for very much longer.

"Could this freakin day get any worse!" Mario yelled out in frustration.

CRASH!

A boney claw had forced a way through the door.

"Oh shit!" Mario ran to the balcony. He stopped as soon as he reached the edge. He froze as a he saw a flashback play before his eyes.

_The flashback was of the night of Mario's accident. Mario and Peach were standing on that very balcony._

_"I don't know what I'm supposed to be any more. I thought for years it was a plumber but now everyone says it's a hero. I liked that role for a while but now it's just overrated. I really miss the simple life."_

_"So you regret saving me?"_

_"No! I wouldn't trade meeting you for the world. I just wish we could run away," Mario said as he grabbed Peach's hands._

_"Yeah that would be nice…to leave all our responsibilities behind us…just the two of us," Peach said dreamily._

A loud BANG snapped Mario back to reality. The Dry Bones had managed to push through the door. They were starting to fill up Peach's chamber quickly. Mario looked over the rail.

"I really wish I had my tanooki suit, wing cap, magic cape, or propeller cap."

He had a choice. Take a 65 ft plunge or stay and get ripped to shreds.

The Dry Bones spotted him and started making a beeline for the balcony.

Mario jumped over the rail without giving it a second thought. As he fell another flashback played out before him. This time it was when he was falling off of Bowser's castle. Only, he could hear a conversation between him and Luigi going on in the background.

_"I think your being selfish"_

_"Maybe I am but I just wish things would be drastically different than they are now."_

_"Mario don't say that! Remember what Mama used to say!" Luigi scolded. "Careful what you wish for because you might just get it!"_

_"One can certainly hope so."_

The careful what you wish for line played over and over as Mario continued to fall.

SPLASH!

Mario crashed down into the castle moat. The remainder of the flashback played out as he sunk to the bottom. He could still hear the screams and cries of his friends' right before he went unconscious on that fateful day. He fought to block out the memory as he swam up to the surface. Several splashes were happening around him. The Dry Bones had followed him right off the balcony!

Mario began to swim down the eastern part of the moat. He knew he could climb out on land that way. He looked back to see a single Dry Bones pursuing him with the herd not too far behind. Mario looked ahead and was relived to see a river bank ahead.

_Yes! I made it!_ He thought as he reached up to grab onto the slope. He started to climb up it at a fast pace. He was almost out until he felt something pulling on his left foot. A Dry Bones had grabbed hold of him. Mario lost his grip and started sliding back down into the moat.

"No!" Mario screamed out as he dug his nails into the earth leaving a trail of claw marks.

He pulled with all of his strength but still kept slipping downward. Finally, Mario turned to face the Dry Bones. He used his right foot to kick the creature in the face as a desperate attempt. The Dry Bones let go and fell back. Mario turned back to resume climbing out of the bank. He didn't look back until he had successfully reached the top.

He started running towards the gate. He was too busy watching the Dry Bones to notice what was in front of him.

"Ugh!"

Mario tripped over a corpse and face planted into the ground. He pulled himself up to resume running for his life. He tried to take off but a sharp pain in his right ankle sent him back down on the ground. Mario fought back a scream as he reached to comfort his ankle. He prayed that it wasn't too injured as he pulled himself up. He tried again to start running but the pain caused him to fall forward.

Mario fell right on top of a corpse this time. He yelped as he looked into its hallow eye sockets. Its decomposing face still had a look of sheer terror engraved on it. Mario pushed himself off it and tried again to get up. He stumbled but managed to stand upright.

The herd had made it up the bank and was just a few feet from Mario at this point. He was now limping as fast as he could to the gate. His sprained ankle had slowed him down greatly. The herd was quickly gaining on him.

Mario reached in his bag and pulled out another fire flower. He knew its attack power wouldn't work but at least it might distance them a bit. The pressure in his ankle was starting to become unbearable again. He knew if he fell again it would be game over. He gritted his teeth and focused on making it to the gate. Occasionally, he would look back to shoot out another round of fireballs. This did help slow them down for a brief second.

At last, Mario managed to make it through the gate. He shot off one more round of fireballs as a distraction so he could lock the gate. He pulled out the chain in his bag and began wrapping it around the gate door. He tried to wrap it as tightly as possible until a Dry Bones had jumped up at the gate. This caused Mario to fall backwards on the ground. He sat stunned as he watched the herd snapping and snarling on the other side. They were reaching out their boney claws trying in vain to swipe Mario through the gate. Hopefully, the gate would hold them.

After a minute, he managed to pull himself up and limp away. He didn't stop until he reached the center of Toad Town. He tried to keep moving but exhaustion had gotten the best of him this time. He collapsed on the ground feeling lightheaded once more.

He looked up to find a dark figure watching him several yards away. Mario reached out his right hand to the stranger.

"Luigi!" he cried out desperately.

The figure was walking towards him now. He tried to make out who it was but was far too weak to focus now.

"Yoshi…" Mario muttered. A veil of blackness was covering over his eyes. He couldn't fight the helplessness this time.

"Peach….." he whispered with one last breath.

The figure was standing before him now but Mario had already blacked out.

EOC.

Poor Mario! It seems like he just can't catch a break. Maybe things will start looking up for him. Then again… maybe not ; )


	4. The End of the World

Chapter 4: The End of the World

**A/N: This chapter will be a bit of a gorefest. There will be plenty of blood and guts to go around, so bare with me folks! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or The Walking Dead.**

"_Mario, I hope you can hear me wherever you are. Everyone thinks I'm off for coming out here to talk to you but it always comforts me. It just feels like you're not too far away. Things are getting worse as each day passes. Supplies are running dangerously low while tensions are rising high. Oh Mario, all everyone does now is argue. It's like a rift is coming between our friends. Nothing like this would happen if you were here. I'm not naive enough to know that we can't survive here for much longer. What are we going to do Mario? I'm trying so hard to remain strong but it's almost pointless to keep…," Peach's trailed off as she started to cry._

"_Peach?" a familiar voice called out._

_Oh hi Daisy," Peach sniffled._

"_I'm sorry to interrupt you but I just came to let you know that dinner is ready or what's left of it. Freaking Wario burnt it. That's the last damn time I trust that idiot to do anything!" Daisy ranted._

"_It's ok Daisy. I'm sure it's not too bad. I'll be along, just give me a few minutes."_

"_You know it's not healthy that you keep doing this. You're really freaking everyone out. He's gone Peach. I know it's hard but sooner or later you're going to have to move on. Mario would want you to go on with your life."_

"_I'm fine Daisy! Just give me a minute, ok?"_

_Daisy sighed._

"_Uhh, Daisy come quick! He's at it again!" Yoshi shouted from a distance._

"_I swear if Luigi doesn't kill him then I surely will!" Daisy shouted in frustration as she ran to join the others._

"_Mario, please give me some kind of sign on what to do…please Mario…" Peach's voice trailed off as if she was walking further and further away._

"Peach…" Mario muttered. He opened his eyes slowly. It took his eyes a few minutes to adjust to his surroundings. He was in a bedroom but it was too dark to see much of anything. He noticed a single candle illuminated a soft glow on the nightstand to his right.

"Geez, that was the worst nightmare of my life. Even worse than the time I had to defeat Wart in Sub Con. Glad that's all over with," he smiled as he closed his eyes.

"DAD! HE'S AWAKE!" a voice screamed out.

Mario's eyes bulged open.

"Who said that!? Mario asked as he immediately sat up in his bed. He began looking around the room more closely. Something was attached to his left arm.

"What the hell? This is not my room! Where am I? What is this thing attached to my arm? I demand to know what the hell is going on around here!"

"Relax, try not to move around too much or you'll rip out your IV," said a familiar voice at the doorway.

Mario turned towards the doorway. It was Rowf and Rhuff, the two doogans that run the badge shop in Toad Town.

"Rowf? Rhuff? What are you guys doing here?"

"We should be asking you the same thing," Rowf said as he unhooked Mario's IV. "Good thing we found you when we did or you would have been a goner."

"What happened?"

"Rhuff and I were on our way to the railroad station when we found you passed out from dehydration. Your ankle looked pretty bad too so we took you to Tayce T's house for medical supplies. She used to volunteer at the hospital in her spare time ya know."

"How long have I been out?" Mario asked softly.

"You've been unconscious for three days."

Mario pushed his covers aside to look at his ankle. He noticed it was covered in white bandages.

"I changed the bandages out this morning. It should be fine for you to walk now," Rhuff said meekly.

"I'm just glad you didn't get bit or scratched, but I'm even more amazed to see you alive!" Rowf added.

"Yeah, Mario, you were pronounced dead!" Rhuff exclaimed.

"Dead? I was only in the hospital for a couple of days," said Mario in disbelief.

"Um, Mario, you've been gone for a long time. I mean a LONG time," Rowf emphasized.

Mario's eyes widened in shock.

"That's impossible! I was just at Peach's party a few days ago."

"Dad, I don't think he knows," Rhuff said to his dad.

"Knows about what?"

BANG!

A loud noise was heard right outside the house.

Rhuff dove under the bed and whimpered in fear. Mario leaped up out of the bed in a fighting stance.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" he screamed out.

"Shhhhh it's ok, one of them just ran into a nearby dumpster," Rowf assured as he looked out the window.

Mario walked over to the window and peaked behind the curtain.

Several of those mutant dry bones were wandering around the street.

"Oh great! Not those things again," Mario groaned as he backed away from the window.

"Don't worry. This place is well barricaded besides those dark bones don't even know we're here."

"The what?"

"Dark Bones. That's what the Mushroom Labs calls them. Should be called Death Bones if you ask me" said Rowf as he still looked out the window.

"I knew those weren't ordinary dry bones," said Mario. "Where did these things come from? Who's controlling them? Where is everyone?"

Rowf turned to face Mario.

"Wow, you really don't know what's going on around here. We'll discuss this over dinner," Rowf said as he motioned for Mario to follow him down the stairs.

Mario and Rhuff followed him down the stairs until they reached Tayce T's kitchen.

The whole room was illuminated with candles. Mario's stomach growled loudly as he caught whiff of the most delicious scent coming from the dinner table.

"You woke up on a special night. We're having shroom steak, mashed potatoes, and healthy salad," Rowf said as he took a seat at the table.

"Yay!" Rhuff exclaimed as he took a seat next to his father.

Mario took a seat across from Rowf and began to help himself to a plate of steaming shroom steak.

"This looks so good! I can't even remember the last time I had shroom steak."

"Yeah, it's a rare delicacy these days," Rowf said as he began to cut into his steak. "It's also the last of the food in the freezer."

Mario spit out his Chuckola Cola at that last comment.

"Don't worry! Rhuff and I have packed plenty of supplies to get us though for the next couple of weeks. Please, enjoy your meal! You need it to help replenish your strength," Rowf said as he took a bite of his steak.

"So, where is Tayce T?" Mario asked as he stuffed his mouth full of mashed potatoes. He was inhaling his food like a starving animal.

"She died in her sleep around the time you were admitted to the hospital," Rhuff said as he took a bite of his salad.

"That's terrible," Mario said softly. He remembered all the times Tayce T would invite him and Luigi over for dinner. She reminded them so much of their grandmother back in Brooklyn. So kind hearted and loving…

"She was lucky if you think about it, she died quick and peaceful right before all this shit happened," Rowf said as he stabbed his knife into the steak.

Rhuff dropped his fork. Mario stopped stuffing his face to look up at Rowf.

"Rowf, tell me everything that happened. When did it all begin?" Mario asked gently.

"It's hard to say. Everything happened so quickly. There were reports of people going missing or found ripped to pieces. The Traveling Sisters Three were the first victims found."

"Yes, I remember seeing that in the news before my accident," Mario recalled.

"Yes, well to start with everyone just assumed it was some rabid animal attack until those damned things were finally spotted around the BeanBean Kingdom. A few of the residents managed to survive an attack; Prince Peasley was among them. They were rushed to the hospital with a fever over 110 and rising. Within 24 hours they all died from a mysterious virus. They weren't the only ones. Anyone who managed to get bit or scratched had only 24 hours to live. It was unlike anything ever seen before! It only took a couple of hours until the whole Kingdom was overrun. Then chaos just spread like wildfire. First, the BeanBean Kingdom, followed by the Waffle Kingdom, then Sarasaland fell, and it just went down hill from there."

Mario swallowed hard.

"Mushroom Labs were doing all they could to learn as much about these things and how to stop them."

"And?" Mario encouraged.

"They learned that these things were 10 times stronger and faster than the average dry bones beside the fact they carry a hyper virus that cannot be cured. It was nothing of this world. Those dark bones were created to seek out and destroy."

"So, who created them?"

"Nobody knows. These things just randomly showed up one day and took over. They're unstoppable! I even remember when they first showed up in the Mushroom Kingdom…"

0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000

*Flashback*

The streets of Toad Town were packed wall to wall with koopas, toads, goombas, and shy guys making their way to the port. Several fights had already broken out in the middle of the street. Gun shots could be heard off in the distance. A couple of helicopters had flown over heading towards Mushroom City.

Rowf and Rhuff were right outside their little badge shop packing up what little supplies they had left.

"_Rhuff and I had been packing. Many had already fled Toad Town and more were scrambling to get out. The Dark Bones had been spotted in Mushroom City. The Mushroom Army had already fallen to these creatures just a few hours prior. Of course, the kingdom had long fallen under anarchy anyway. Everyone rebelled. Crime level rose. Gangs took over. The Koopa Brothers especially were the worst. Riots and murders were becoming more rampant. Nobody could stop the madness. It truly was the end of the world. Only, Merlon tried to be the voice of reason…"_

"Dad, hurry up! We're gonna miss the ferry to Rogueport!" Rhuff called out.

"Alright, I think that's everything. Let's go," Rowf said as he walked out of the shop with Rhuff right by his side.

A loud Silent Hill-esque siren filled the air as the two doogans walked alongside the crowd towards the port. (**A/N: Am I the only person who thinks that emergency sirens sound like something right out of Silent Hill?**)

"Citizens of Toad Town, We must work together if we are to protect our world and defeat our enemy! Please, hear me out our survival depends on it!" Merlon called out as he stood atop the post office.

"Yeah, then how come you haven't gotten off your mystical ass and saved us?" a voice from the crowd yelled out.

"Yeah Merlon, if your so damn powerful then why don't you just destroy these things before they destroy all of us!" another angry voice called out.

The crowd was now screaming out in approval.

"I've already told you! I have tried everything I can possibly do. My powers are no match against this supernatural force. This is dark magic out of any realm that I've ever known."

"Bullshit!"

"You SUCK Merlon!"

"I hope a dark bones tears into you next!"

The crowd was now beyond pissed off screaming out profanity and chanting out death threats for Merlon.

"Come on Rhuff, let's get out of here before it gets any worse," Rowf said as him and Rhuff tried to push through the angry mob.

"I'M BEGGING ALL OF YOU PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!" Merlon screamed out. "I KNOW HOW TO END ALL OF THIS!"

The mob grew silent. Rowf and Rhuff even stopped walking towards the port to listen.

"The ancients spoke to me in a dream," Merlon began. "Only the Ruby, Emerald, Diamond, and Sapphire together can withstand the Black Onyx. They must…"

"WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT EVEN MEAN!?" a voice boomed out from the crowd interrupting Merlon.

"We're tired of your stupid riddles!"

The crowd was out of control. They were screaming and throwing objects at Merlon. Merlon kept his posture and still continued to reason with them.

"I'm still trying to make sense of it. That was all that was told to me! The four must meet in the land of the midnight sun in the room of symmetric light."

The crowd was out of control at this point until a gunshot was heard.

Merlon gripped his chest as he fell from the rooftop. He landed face down on the street. Blood seeped through his purple cloak. Someone had shot him in the heart. The crowd cheered over this barbaric death. Several of the residents were even taking turns stomping on his body.

Rowf covered Rhuff's eyes as he stood in awestruck of what just happened.

"OH MY GOD! THE DARK BONES ARE HERE! EVERYONE RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"

An ear piercing scream seized the mini celebration. Everyone turned to their left to see that a pack of dark bones had made it into Toad Town.

What erupted next was nothing short of absolute chaos; the crowd had scattered into every direction as the dark bones leaped into the center. Rowf and Rhuff tried to run but were separated as the crowd pushed and fought to get out of the way.

Rowf lost his balance and fell to the ground. He reached for the ankle of a shy guy for support. The shy guy turned and kicked Rowf in the face causing him to let go of the ankle.

The dark bones wasted no time in taking over the town. They easily jumped from victim to victim leaving behind a trail of body parts and blood. More dark bones were starting to come into the town.

"RHUFF! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Rowf tried to scream out as he was being trampled over.

He watched as a bloody Shy Guy cried out in pain until another Dark Bones bit into the back of his neck. Some of his blood even sprayed in Rowf's face.

Rowf screamed out as he tried to move away but was knocked down by another random toad running for its life.

He could only witness the terror as he remained on the ground.

The streets were pilling up with bloody corpses at every turn.

One koopa had his eyes scratched out and was withering in agony on the street. Next to his body was a dead goomba with a huge claw mark across its torso.

A headless toad's body was still shaking violently adjacent to Minh T's garden.

Minh T cried as she stood before her headless lover's body. She begged for mercy as two Dark Bones pinned her down and began sinking their teeth into her wrists. She let out a final cry of pain before succumbing to her death.

A small group of four goombas ran to an alley way hoping to hide out. Three Dark Bones spotted them in the distance and followed after them. The goombas kept running until they reached a dead end. They turned around to face the oncoming dark bones. All the group could do was scream and flinch as their bodies were being torn into.

"DAD? DAD?" Rhuff cried out as he managed to pull his way out of the panicking crowd into the alley way.

He covered his mouth in fear as he watched as one of the dark bones ripped the head off of a goomba. The other goombas' were still being mutilated as their blood and guts were slung all over the walls.

Rhuff backed away slowly and turned to leave the alley way as quietly as possible. As he was about to leave the alley way; he noticed a dark figure leaned off to the side.

"Dad?"

The figure turned around. It was a dark bones with fresh blood still dripping from its mouth.

Rhuff screamed and moved out of the way dodging an oncoming attack.

He took off running towards the port. He knew that his best chance of survival and finding his dad would be there.

He stooped right in front of Tayce T's house as he witnessed Russ T getting his torso ripped in half by another dark bones. His blood splattered on Rhuff as the toad's intestines were spilling on the street.

"SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!"

Rowf heard his son's cry and with sudden force managed to crawl his way out of the street.

He was about to get up when he noticed a dark bones just a few feet away from him. He curled himself into the fetal position as it jumped over him to a nearby male koopa.

The koopa screamed as the dark bones dug its claws into the back of his head. The koopa turned over and tried to push the dark bones off of him. Unfortunately, the vile creature was too strong and easily forced its claw into his throat.

Rowf pulled himself up and took off running down the western part of town.

He saw the silhouette of a female koopa in a white dress leaned up against a street lamp pole.

"Excuse me, miss! Have you seen my son?" Rowf asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

She turned around. Rowf yelped as he noticed that her lower jaw had been ripped off. She clawed at him frantically as blood oozed onto her white dress.

He backed away from her. A dark bones had sprung from the left alley way to jump Rowf, who had fled just such a moment that the surprise attack missed him—and got a shy guy, pinning him on the sidewalk.

Rhuff was now being chased by two dark bones. He knew he couldn't outrun them for too much longer. He saw a tree beside Tayce T's house and rushed towards it. He leaped up and climbed up on to a high branch. Rhuff clung to the high branch for dear life as the dark bones started ramming into the tree out of rage.

Rhuff heard a crack in the branch. The tree wouldn't be able to support him for very much longer.

"DAD! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Rowf stopped and turned to see his son trapped in a tree surrounded by the two dark bones.

He looked around in vain for any kind of weapon. The only thing nearby was a fallen trash can. Rowf seized the trash lid.

The tree finally snapped in half causing Rhuff to land face down on to the ground.

"No!" Rowf screamed as he hurled the trash lid like a Frisbee at the dark bones. The lid managed to knock of their heads off in the process.

Rowf rushed over to help his son up while the headless dark bones were occupied with pulling themselves back together.

"Are you alright?" He asked looking over his son for any bites or claw marks.

"I'm fine," the young doogan replied as he embraced his father in a quick hug.

"C'mon! We gotta get to the ferry," Rowf said as he grabbed Rhuff's right hand.

The two doogans ran as fast as they could to the port.

The last ferry was leaving the port as soon as Rowf and Rhuff made it to the docks.

"Noooo! Stop! Wait!" Rowf screamed out along with hundreds of other desperate toads, koopas and goombas.

Several of them had even started jumping in the ocean.

"What are we gonna do now?" Rhuff asked.

Before Rowf could answer the dark bones were storming into the port.

"This way!" Rowf directed as he grabbed Rhuff and headed down an opposite pathway back into Toad Town.

The doogans noticed a group of koopas run into a brown house. Rowf and Rhuff tried to follow them but the door was slammed shut in their faces. Rowf tried to open the door but it was locked.

"Please, let us in!" Rowf begged as he banged his fists on the door.

"Over here!" a female toad from next door called out to them.

Rowf and Rhuff followed her into the yellow house that once held the Shy Guy Toy Box.

"Thanks Miss," Rowf panted as him and Rhuff collapsed on the floor. Their heartbeats were racing so fast it was a wonder they didn't black out.

"Damnit Chanterelle! Quit opening that door before one of those creatures from hell gets in here," a voice yelled out.

"Sorry Chuck, but I just couldn't let them hurt anyone else," she replied.

"Wow! Chuck Quizmo, Vanna T, and Chanterelle, the pop diva," Rhuff said in excitement as he quickly noticed who all was in the room. Another figure was also in the room. This person stood off to himself in the corner away from the others. He was known as Chet Rippo, the town's infamous shady dealer.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Quizmo said politely.

Vanna T was shaking uncontrollably but gave a small smile nonetheless.

"Thank you for helping us out back there," Rowf said to Chanterelle.

Chanterelle smiled and nodded at him.

The cries and screams outside could still be heard within the house. Each scream made Vanna T tense up even more.

Rowf glanced out a nearby window. Right outside the house a dark bones had just sunk its teeth into the head of a helpless toad. The toad cried out for help as his blood spilled out onto the street.

Another dark bones jumped up to the window causing Rowf, Chanterelle, Vanna T and Rhuff to scream out in surprise. Rowf drew back the curtains to hide everyone from outside view. It was too late. Loud bangs were heard outside the door. The dark bones knew they were in there.

"We have to find a way out of here now!" Chanterelle screamed.

"We're all gonna die! We're all gonna die! We're all gonna die!" Vanna T screamed out as she ran around in circles.

"Calm the fuck down Vanna!" screamed Quizmo.

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down you stupid bastard! We're trapped like fucking rats!"

"Well, screaming and crying will not get us out of her you dumb bitch!"

"Well asshole, barking orders won't help us either!"

"Hell of a lot better than listening to you! You're only good for standing around and looking pretty. You're nothing but a worthless slut!"

"Fuck you Quizmo! Nobody likes you or your dumbass game show. I'm glad the damn thing got cancelled. You suck ass as a host!"

Quizmo then slapped Vanna T hard across the cheek making her fall to the ground. Vanna began to weep.

Rhuff was now sobbing as Rowf hugged him tight for comfort.

"Everyone calm down! There has to be another way out," said Rowf.

"Yes! Please we have to work together. Merlon said it would be the only way to defeat our enemy," Chanterelle said as she helped Vanna T up off the floor.

A sinister laugh was heard in the corner of the room. Everyone turned their attention to Chet.

"And what exactly is so funny you fucking freak of nature?" Quizmo spat at him.

"You actually believed that senile old fart? Ha! If a wizard could not stop the dark bones what makes you think someone else can?" Chet said smartly.

"Merlon's predications are never wrong! He said there was a way and I have faith," replied Chanterelle.

"What all that babble about a Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, and Diamond? So treasure hunting will save the world? If you believe that shit then you're an even dumber bitch than this slut over here," he said as he gestured towards Vanna T, who was still sobbing.

"Merlon can only translate his dreams into riddles. I believe the four precious stones have to be a metaphor of some kind."

"Yeah, that we're all screwed. Trust me there is nothing to stop this madness. We should all embrace it as it consumes us all. Every beginning has an end just like Merlon. Just accept the fact that your all gonna die a horrible, slow, painful death," he said as he smirked at Rhuff.

Rhuff clung to his father in fear.

"What makes you so confident about our fate?" Chanterelle asked.

"Because I know the secret Heh heh heh," Chet replied with a creepy smile.

"Don't listen to him. That creepy loser just wants attention," Quizmo said.

"It's true. I resurrected him back from the dead in exchange for blood. That's what fuels them. It's live, fresh blood," Chet said creepily.

Rhuff gasped.

"But don't worry it's not the dead that you need to fear," Chet said with a wink.

"Shut the fuck you jacked up weirdo!" Quizmo screamed out.

The banging at the door grew louder as the door started to splinter.

"Hurry! We have to find a way out!" Rowf exclaimed.

"There is no where out. There's nowhere to run or hide. Your all gonna get hunted down like the pathetic livestock you are! He will make sure that you all die!" Chet said.

"I WANNA GET OUT OF HERE!" Vanna T wailed.

"I said shut the fuck up!" Quizmo lashed out.

"You know who caused all this? Who is it?" Chanterelle asked.

"I'll never tell," Chet sung out in a taunting voice.

"That's it! I'm gonna kick your ass freak show!" Quizmo yelled out as he lunged for Chet.

Chet pulled a revolver out his pocket and shot Quizmo in the forehead before he could react.

Blood splattered all over the walls.

Vanna T, Chanterelle and Rhuff screamed out in horror as Quizmo's body hit the floor. His lifeless eyes gazed up at the ceiling while his blood gushed out all over the floor.

Vanna T was hyperventilating. Some of Quizmo's blood had gotten on her dress.

Chet was laughing like a madman.

"I think I enjoyed killing Quizmo more than I did killing Merlon."

"It's gonna be alright…It's gonna be alight," Rowf whispered as he hugged his son tight.

"You're a monster!" Vanna T yelled out in between sobs.

"Welcome to the dawning of a new era," Chet replied as he unlocked the door.

Don't do it!" Rowf yelled out. Too late, the door was thrust open by a pack of dark bones.

Chet continued to laugh like a madman as he was being torn to shreds.

Vanna T was screaming and started clawing at the back wall until a door pushed open.

Nobody questioned the secret door in the wall as they quickly rushed into the next room.

Rowf and Chanterelle both held the door shut to keep the dark bones from coming in. Vanna T and Rhuff quickly scanned the vacant room for an exit. The only thing in the room was an old mattress.

"THERE'S NO WAY OUT! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" Vanna T sobbed out.

"What about those windows?" Rhuff said as he pointed to three windows towards to the back of the room.

"You three get to the windows, I'll hold them off," Rowf grunted as he pushed the door back with all his might.

"But they are way too high!" Vanna T whined.

"You can't hold them off by yourself!" Chanterelle protested.

"Dad! No, I'm not leaving without you," Rhuff began to cry.

The growls of the dark bones were started to echo through the wall. More of them were starting to try to push through the door. It was getting harder by the minute to keep the door shut.

"Look, we're wasting time. Vanna, use the mattress to boost yourself up, Chanterelle, I'll bide enough time for you guys to get to safety, and Rhuff, I'll be right behind you. NOW GO!" He ordered.

The three didn't argue as they raced over to their respective window. Vanna T jumped on to mattress to reach the window ledge to the right. Rhuff ran and jumped as high as he could to the middle ledge, while Chanterelle threw her shoe into the window on the left. As soon as the glass broke, she reached up on the ledge to pull herself up. Chanterelle, was a quite tall for a toad, so she had no problem pulling herself up onto the ledge. Rhuff was now sitting on his ledge. He managed to kick his window open.

As soon as Rhuff went out the window, Rowf ran as fast as he could and leaped up to the middle ledge. The door burst open as the dark bones quickly filed into that room. Rowf was already through the window and back outside with Rhuff and Chanterelle.

"Where's Vanna T?" Rhuff asked.

"HELP! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!" Vanna T screamed out.

Rowf ran around to her window outside. He climbed on top a trash can to look inside. He could see her through the glass struggling to keep her balance on the ledge.

"Hold on Vanna!" Rowf called out as he punched the glass with all his strength. The glass shattered to a million pieces.

Rowf reached his paw out for Vanna to grab a hold of. As soon as Vanna grabbed a hold of his paw, a sharp pain was sent through her left leg. She screamed out bloody murder as a dark bones had sunk its teeth into her flesh and was attempting to pull her back into the room.

"NO! PLEASE!" Vanna T cried out. Despite Vanna being injured, Rowf still held on to her hand as he tried to pull her through the window. He pulled back as far as he could but ended up losing his balance on the trash can. Rowf fell backwards as Vanna was jerked into the house. She released one last ear splitting scream. Rowf stared mortified at the house as if he was in some kind of trance. His right fist was throbbing. He looked at it absent-mindly as he noticed it was bleeding with a few shards of glass stuck in his knuckles.

"Quickly, this way!" Chanterelle said as she grabbed Rowf and Rhuff's arms. She lead the two down a back ally way.

"We need to get out of Toad Town!" Rowf said.

"We can't! All of the exits are blocked. There has to be somewhere safe we can hide out for now," Chanterelle said.

"What about our underground hurricane shelter at the badge shop?" Rhuff asked.

"Good idea! Lead the way!" Chanterelle said.

The trio continued down the alley way stepping over many corpses in the process. Most of the dark bones were gathered in the main streets of Toad Town.

"Our badge shop is right over there!" Rowf pointed ahead. "We are going to have to make a run for it!"

"It's now or never!" Chanterelle said as she took off out of the alley onto the main street. Rowf and Rhuff quickly followed behind her.

They reached the entrance of the badge shop. Rowf wasted no time in opening up the underground hatch.

"Down here!" Rowf shouted.

Rhuff was the first one down the hatch. Chanterelle was right behind him until a dark bones leaped out of the corner.

"Chanterelle! Behind…"

As soon as Chanterelle turned around she was tackled by an unsuspecting dark bones that had followed them out of the alley way.

The creature bit down on her left check ripping out a huge amount of flesh. It began to claw at her throat.

Rowf was frozen in fear as he watched the gruesome sight right outside his shop.

Chanterelle managed to look up at him.

"Go," she replied weakly with her last breath as she coughed up blood.

"Dad! C'mon!" Rhuff yelled as he pulled him down into the hatch closing the door behind him.

Rowf stood in silence while Rhuff wept in his arms.

"_And we stayed down in that shelter for 2 weeks. Luckily, we had some food stashed away to last us for a while. We waited until the town grew silent before we dared to come up. Every day we would hide in the shadows, avoiding gangs and dark bones, just trying to savage for what little food we could find."_

*End of flashback*

0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000

Mario's face was pale. He could not believe what Rowf was telling him.

"The only reason, we even stayed here was in hopes that another ferry would come back to Toad Town," Rowf sighed. "It never did nor will it ever. That's why we're leaving for Mt. Rugged in the morning. We were planning on leaving three days ago but when we saw you injured, we couldn't just leave you."

Mario sat in silence, he had lost his appetite.

The trio sat in awkward silence for several minutes.

Mario was still trying to take everything in. He wanted to say something but what was there to say?

"Well, its getting late," Rowf said breaking the silence at last. "Mario, you can have the master bedroom upstairs. Rhuff and I will stay down here."

Mario stared down on the floor in a deep trance.

"Mario, are you gonna be alright?" Rowf asked gently.

"Are my friends still alive?" he asked softly still looking down.

Rowf did not know exactly how to answer this question.

"We'll talk more about it in the morning, but for now I suggest you get some rest," Rowf said as he got up to clean the kitchen table.

Mario nodded as he made his way back upstairs into the bedroom. He walked over towards the window. He looked down on to the street. Lots of dark bones were still patrolling the streets aimlessly.

The once peaceful town filled with cheerful toads was nothing but a shadow of a distant memory.

EOC.

**Ugh! This chapter was a real pain to write. I was planning to add more but noticed I was already at the 19 page mark and decided to stop here XD. **


	5. Now or Never

Chapter 5: Now or Never

**A/N: I'm back from a brief hiatus. The new Walking Dead season has inspired me to keep writing chapters. A big thank you to everyone that has read, reviewed, favorited, and/or followed my story. THANK YOU! *confetti cake and fruit punch for everyone* Just a few reviewer responses:**

**Gloop: I'm loosely following The Walking Dead storyline. I'm trying to change up the plot/character type casting so it will not be too predicable for TWD fans. **

**Light Speed508: I love that show too! Lol. Thanks and I hope you like it even though there are no traditional zombies in this fic. I thought I would try not to rip the show off too much.**

**To the anon: Thanks for reading! I will try to make more of a conscious effort to work on my grammar. I do appreciate your constructive criticism! : )**

**Wafflegirl: LOL! I'm so glad you liked it. : ) Yeah, I forgot to warn everyone about the strong language last chapter. I'll try to tone it down for the next couple of chapters. X D**

**MightyAvenger: I agree! I love how realistic that show really comes across! Waluigi is about to play a pretty vital role to the group… I have big plans for him.**

**BoomShroom: Thank you so much! I took a film class too. We never got to watch anything cool like TWD.**

**Special thanks to rene 10, ghostleon, wispilla, and elemental queen!**

**I'll try to update more frequently. On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or Super Mario 64!**

…

Mario found himself standing before Peach's elegant castle. He watched with awe as Peach floated down from the stained-glass window atop the castle entrance gracefully. A bright aurora was shining all around her.

Mario rushed over to her in glee. His heart was pounding. Could it really be his princess?

"Mario! The power of the stars has restored to the castle. And it's all thanks to you! Thank you Mario, we'll have to do something special for you," Peach said sweetly as she leaned in to give him a kiss.

"Here we go!" Mario cheered as he spun into his trademark pose.

"Listen everyone, let's bake a delicious cake for Mario," Peach said to the two servant toads beside her.

Mario was more than eager to follow the trio into the castle. This was turning out to be the best day ever! He was going to spend it with his two greatest loves: Princess Peach and a scrumptious strawberry cake.

"Mario, one more for the folks at home!" said the lakitu cameraman.

Mario turned around and smiled brightly into the camera.

"Mario, how does it feel to save the princess and defeat Bowser once more?" Lakitu asked.

Mario was about to respond until he heard Peach calling his name.

"Sorry Lakitu, I'll be right back," Mario said as he turned to rush into the castle.

"No worries, I'll be waiting out here!" Lakitu called out.

Mario stepped inside the pitch black castle corridor.

"That's odd! Why are all the lights off? Mario asked himself.

He noticed the only source of light was coming out of the kitchen.

"Ah… maybe they want to surprise me!" Mario said happily as he burst through the kitchen door.

He was so excited that he could barely contain himself.

"I'll take two extra large splices!" Mario exclaimed.

He looked around the room. It was completely empty. No cake or Princess Peach was to be found.

Mario paced the room in hopes that someone would appear at any second.

"Ok guys, you can come out of your hiding places now," Mario said with a hint of impatience in his voice.

There was still no answer.

Mario was about to leave the kitchen until he heard some rustling from inside the freezer.

"Peach, are you in there?" Mario asked outside the freezer door.

He then noticed a thick trail of blood oozing out beneath the door.

Mario felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He jerked open the door without hesitation. However, he was not prepared for what was behind the door.

"Oh my God!" Mario screamed out in horror.

The bodies of Luigi, Daisy, Toad, Toadette, Toadsworth, DK, Wario, Waluigi, Yoshi, Birdo and Rosalina were hung like processed meat in a row. Mario couldn't help but notice that large chunks of their flesh were missing.

It looked like wild animals had gnawed on their limbs. The internal remains were left scattered across the floor.

He didn't know whether to scream or vomit.

"Peach! Where are you!?" Mario screamed as he bolted out of the kitchen.

"MARIO!" Peach screamed from inside her room.

Mario ran as fast as he could up the castle stairs.

"Please be alright," he said to himself as he raced in record time into Peach's bedroom.

Peach was lying on her bed. Her torso was ripped wide open as blood squirted out her body onto the floor.

"Peach! No! Please don't die!" Mario screamed as he rushed beside her.

"You promised that you would always protect me!" Peach screamed out in agony.

"I'm so sorry!" Mario said unable to hold back the tears.

"I trusted you! This is all your fault!" she cried out.

"I can still save you," Mario promised.

He noticed three figures had entered the room. It was Lakitu and the two toad servants.

"Lakitu! We need to call the Medics, it's an emergency!" Mario exclaimed as he ran up to them.

He didn't respond to Mario. Instead, he rushed over to Peach's body and began to sink his teeth into her flesh.

"Mario! Please do something!" Peach wailed.

Her blood curling scream filled the room.

"What the hell are you doing? Get the fuck away from her!" Mario screamed.

He was about to attack him when he froze in his tracks. The cameraman turned around to reveal himself as a dark bones.

"Dark Bones!" Mario said in anger.

Mario tried to move but felt a sharp pain in his legs. He fell to the floor. He turned back to see two other dark bones had started to bite into his legs.

The two toad servants had transformed into the undead koopas.

Mario screamed as he felt the pain take over the sensation in his body.

Mario then heard a sinister laughter surround the walls of the castle.

"I know that laugh," Mario said through gritted teeth.

Mario struggled to get up but was unsuccessful. The two dark bones had pinned him down. One was biting into his right shoulder blade while the other was still working on his legs.

The laughter grew louder until it was booming over Mario.

"Bowser!" Mario screamed out in fury.

Bowser appeared before Mario with demonic eyes and a satisfied smirk.

"Looks like Super Mario has finally failed," said Bowser as he gestured towards Peach's lifeless body.

"NO!" Mario cried out in defeat.

"Give up loser! This time it's different. You can't win," Bowser said dryly.

Suddenly, a door burst open. Hundreds of dark bones swarmed into the room. They all immediately ambushed Mario.

Mario could only scream as he felt hundreds of sharp teeth and claws rip into his flesh.

The last thing Mario saw was Bowser standing before him laughing like a lunatic.

Mario jerked awake as he sat up on the bed. This was like the hundredth nightmare he had all night long. Mario took deep breaths to get his wits about him.

"It was only another nightmare," Mario said to calm himself down.

His entire night had been filled with graphic nightmares starring the dark bones. So, the red clad plumber received very little sleep that night.

Mario reached into his pocket to pull out the picture of Peach. He gazed longingly at the picture.

"I will find you… wherever you are," he said softly.

Mario glanced up at the window. Sunlight was starting to light up the dark room. Mario was relieved that morning had finally come at last. He stashed the picture back into his pocket and made his way down the stairs.

The overwhelming scent of bacon filled the air.

"Mario saw that Rhuff was at the table finishing up his breakfast.

"Morning Mario! Sleep well?" Rowf asked as he continued frying up more bacon.

"I have had better nights," Mario mumbled as he took a seat across from Rhuff.

Rowf walked over to put some bacon on Mario's plate.

"Help yourself," Rowf said as he took a seat beside Rhuff.

Mario nibbled at a few strips but was not feeling all that hungry.

Rowf noticed Mario's lack of appetite.

"I hope you like bacon. I know it is not a strawberry cake, but it is pretty edible," Rowf joked.

Mario winced at 'strawberry cake.' Memories of his latest nightmare started flashing before his eyes.

He could still see the princess cursing him with her last breath.

"_You promised you would always protect me!"_

The thought of her agonized screams was enough to haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Mario!"

Mario snapped back to reality.

"What is it?"

"You alright buddy? You seem well out of it," Rowf said as he chewed on a piece of bacon.

"Rowf, please tell me Peach, Luigi and my other friends are alive," Mario blurted out so fast that Rowf barely understood what he said.

He was silent for a minute.

"Well?" Mario encouraged.

"I really don't know what ever became of them," Rowf said sadly.

Mario didn't make eye contact with him. Instead, he just stared down at the floor in a daze.

"Peach did all she could to calm the masses. But it all just got out of hand. Too many riots were happening in the street. So, the Mushroom Army took control and nobody heard anything out of the princess ever since."

Mario remained silent still lost in thought.

"Things got worse when the army took over. They treated us like caged animals. Border patrols were set up at every exit in town. Nobody was allowed to leave their home towns. That's why they sealed off the warp pipes. Those idiots believed that quarantining us would save our lives. Pfft. Yeah right! They nearly trapped us to our doom," Rowf ranted.

He took a sip of water as Mario spoke.

"How do you kill the dark bones?" Mario asked randomly.

Rowf spit back out his water. He dropped his glass in shock and began to choke.

"I want to destroy them," Mario said simply.

"Dude, they are practically indestructible. It's way too dangerous to be in any form of combat with them. I mean, the army fell pretty quickly to them. Besides, you should be lucky to have survived an encounter with them."

"So, you CAN kill them?"

Rowf facepalmed himself.

"Trust me Mario! This is not your average goomba or even a regular dry bones for that matter. These mutant hybrids are something else. Just a small scratch can kill you!"

"Look, I know the odds are against me, but I just can't hide out forever. There has got to be some way to defeat those things."

"Destroy the brain."

"That sounds simple enough."

"ONLY after it is separate from the body. You have to behead it first. Once the head is removed, it can be crushed. Thus, killing the dark bones. It sounds easy but it is far too risky to get that close to one."

"How do you know all of this?"

"Toadbert. He worked for the Mushroom Kingdom Center for Disease Control AKA Mushroom Labs. They used to broadcast all of his dark bones research before the network went under."

"Looks like I'm going to Mushroom City," Mario said as he got up from the table.

"Mushroom City!? ARE YOU NUTS!?" Rowf exclaimed.

"Mario, you can't go to Mushroom City! The city is the worst possible place to be during all of this!" Rhuff yelled as he ran to block the doorway.

"Rhuff's right. You could easily get cornered. That city is a death trap!" Rowf warned.

"Well, this town isn't exactly a safe haven either," Mario snorted.

"No, but there is a safe haven in Rougeport."

"Yeah, you should come with us Mario! Uncle Arfur told us about it before the telephone lines got cut," Rhuff said.

"He's right Mario. I bet Peach and your friends are there," Rowf added.

"Rowf, I had a dream the other day about Peach. She's was calling out to me. I couldn't get a clear look at the background but it looked familiar. Also, I keep thinking about what Merlon said to you that day," Mario said as he looked up at Rowf.

Rowf swallowed hard. He did not like thinking about that ill fated day.

"I believe I was meant to hear that message. I can't explain it but I just have to go to Mushroom City. What if Toadbert is still there? He might have found an easier way to kill them!"

"Well, if your mind is made up then there's nothing I can do to stop you," Rowf said.

"Hey Mario, here's a dark bones you can practice killing," Rhuff said as he looked out the window.

Mario walked up behind Rhuff to peek out the same window.

The town looked abandoned except for one stray dark bones that stood in the center of the street.

"Where are all the other dark bones?" Mario asked as he looked all around.

He turned from the window to face Rowf.

"I don't know. It is not uncommon for them to scatter during the day. They are more active at night. I think this whole thing is insane, but if you insist of trying to kill one…it's now or never," Rowf said with hesitation.

"Here you go," Rhuff said as he handed Mario a baseball bat.

Mario gulped. It was indeed now or never.

He opened the door and slowly stepped out.

Rowf and Rhuff stood in the doorway.

"Aim for the neck," Rowf whispered.

Mario nodded as he eased closer into the street.

"Hey you!" Mario shouted.

The dark bones turned to face Mario. The red eyes starred directly into Mario's blue eyes. For a brief second, Mario wanted to make a run for it.

The dark bones made a beeline for Mario.

Mario gripped the bat tightly. He was going to do this for her.

"Be careful Mario!" yelled Rowf.

Rhuff was silently praying in the background.

The dark bones got closer and closer. Just as it was about to take a swipe, Mario swung the bat.

The head landed a few feet to Mario's left.

The dark bones body fell forward just a mere inch from Mario. He turned back to face the two doogans.

"That wasn't so bad."

"Mario! The skull! Destroy the freaking skull before it reunites with the body!" Rowf screamed out.

Mario looked back to notice the body was crawling to its head at a fast pace.

"Shit!" Mario exclaimed as he raced to beat the body.

Just as it had its claw on the head, Mario slammed the bat down onto its' skull. The skull was crushed to a million pieces. The body ceased all movements and crumbled to pieces as well.

"Looks like Super Mario is back!" Rhuff cheered as he rushed over to Mario.

"I'm glad to know that being in Super Mario Sluggers finally paid off," Mario grinned.

"You did good," Rowf applauded. "But can you withstand hundreds of them at once?"

Mario didn't answer.

"C'mon! Let's get back in the house before more of them show up," Rowf suggested.

Mario followed Rowf and Rhuff back into the house. He helped them pack for their excursion. The whole time Rhuff raved about Mario's epic battle, while Mario just humbly smiled. He even caught glimpses of Rowf smiling brightly. New found hope had filled the room. Mario figured it was the most joy the doogans had experienced in a long time.

After everything was packed, Mario checked to make sure the outside was safe.

"The coast is clear," Mario signaled.

The trio began making their way down to the Toad Town railroad station.

"Where will you go?" Mario asked.

"Well, I figure traveling through Dry Dry Desert is a lot safer than the streets. There should be another port just north of Mt. Rugged," Rowf said.

"There's an oasis in the southwestern part of the desert. I suggest stocking up on supplies there just in case," Mario advised.

"Mario, things will go back to normal now that your back, right?" Rhuff asked.

Mario looked into the innocent doogan's eyes. He didn't know how to answer this one. He had made such an ordeal to Peach and Luigi about not wanting the hero role anymore. But, right now, his friends needed him.

"I'll do my best," Mario said with confidence.

That answer seemed to please Rhuff as he rushed forward to embrace Mario in a hug.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us to Rougeport?" Rowf asked.

"I appreciate the invite, but I believe that my friends are still out here," Mario replied.

"Very well, I want you to have this," Rowf said as he handed Mario a walkie talkie.

Mario stared at it for a moment.

"I'm sorry, I can't offer you a rare badge, my shop was robbed a long time ago."

"Where is the other one?"

"I don't know, but I often hear static like someone is trying to make contact. I have tried to speak into it but nobody ever answers. I know this is not much, but I hope you can find some use for it. Who knows? Maybe it could help you find your friends."

"I have something for you as well," Mario said as he reached into his tool bag.

He handed Rowf his last fire flower.

Rowf was too stunned for words.

"It does not do much to fight off the dark bones, but it will at least make a hearty spicy soup."

"Thank you Mario! I wish I had more to offer."

"No worries! It was the least I could do. You saved my life back there."

Rowf put his right paw on Mario's right shoulder.

"Be careful out there Mario. You never know what could be lurking around every corner. Trust no one!" Rowf warned.

Mario was a bit confused by Rowf's last statement.

"Bye Mario!" Rhuff waved.

Mario waved goodbye as he watched the two doogans walk along the railroad tracks to Mt. Rugged.

Mario turned and headed down the pathway to Mushroom City.

"Hello?...Hello? Is anyone out there? Can anyone hear me?" Mario asked into his walkie talkie.

Meanwhile…

Goombella, Lakilulu, Rosalina, Sushie, Starlow, Bombette, Waluigi and Goompa were crowded around an old radio just outside of the goomba house.

"Just a few small adjustments and soon we will be able to contact anyone!" Goompa cheered.

"Thank God! Maybe we can find out what's taking the others sooooooo freaking long," Waluigi grumbled.

"Maybe if you got off your lazy ass and went with them, they would have been back by now!" Bombette snapped.

"Uhhh, I'm not the only male that chose to stay behind, thank you," Waluigi retorted.

"Only because you are way too scared," Starlow snickered.

"Screw you Starlow! I am NOT scared of those boney freaks!"

"Yeah right, then how come you never want to make runs into town?"

"I..I just don't feel like it, ok?"

"Sure you don't *cough* coward *cough*"

" I'll show you a coward!" Waluigi screamed as he lunged for Starlow.

Starlow took off across the yard still hurling insults at him.

The two continued to argue while Goompa fidgeted with the transmitter.

"That was a good idea to use parts from that old walkie talkie, Goombella," Goompa complimented.

"Well, Goombario told me that he lost the other one a long time ago. We kept trying to page the other one. We never got a response, only static. So, maybe it will be more useful now."

"I sure hope we can at least get in touch with the others! They should have been back a long time ago!" Lakilulu panicked.

"Don't worry Lakilulu, I'm sure they will be back any minute," Sushie said.

"You said that an hour ago! What if they are hurt or worse? I just knew that Lakilester should not have gone with them," Lakilulu began to tear up.

Rosalina walked over to comfort Lakilulu.

"Now don't you all fret! I have a good feeling about this radio," Goompa said proudly as he began scanning different channels.

"Hello? Are there any other survivors out there?" Goompa spoke into the walkie talkie piece.

The only response was static.

"Will you two just shut up already? We are trying to make contact with the others!" Bombette shouted to Waluigi and Starlow.

Everyone watched the radio with anticipation.

"Try another channel!" Goombella suggested.

"I have already tuned to all of them," sighed Goompa.

"Well try again! For everyone and Lakilester's sake!" Lakilulu pleaded.

Goompa was just about to change the channel until Rosalina spoke up.

"Don't touch that dial! Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Goompa asked in confusion.

"Yeah, all I heard was just a bunch of static," Sushie said.

"There it is again!" Rosalina exclaimed as she rushed over to the radio. She began to fidget with the transmitter until a clearer sound could be heard.

"ello?…llo?…ss…ere..anyone..ut there? Can anyone hear me?"

"Oh my God! It's another survivor!" Bombette cheered.

"It sounds like Mario," Rosalina said.

"WHAT?" Goompa, Bombette, Lakilulu, Waluigi, Sushie, and Starlow exclaimed.

"No, she's right. It does kinda sound like him," Goombella admitted.

"Maybe this device can contact the dead!" Sushie said.

"For the love of Goomnuts! That's preposterous! Everyone knows that Mario passed away years ago, and no, this radio cannot contact the dead," Goompa stated.

The voice came back on the radio before anyone could stay anything else.

"If anyone can hear me, I am heading north on the Mushroom Bypass into Mushroom City."

"Did he just say Mushroom City!?" Lakilulu shrieked.

"Don't just sit there! Someone stop him! He'll be killed!" Bombette panicked.

"Hello? Hello? Are you still there?" Rosalina shouted into the walkie talkie.

"Get to the point, space case!" Starlow shouted as she pushed Rosalina out of the way. Unfortunately, Rosalina backed into the antenna, knocking it out of signal.

"Do NOT go into Mushroom City! I repeat do NOT go into Mushroom City!" Starlow bellowed into the walkie talkie.

The only response was static.

"Hello? Stranger, do you copy?"

"You are not doing it right, Starlow!" Goombella complained as she attempted to get the walkie talkie from her.

"I'm doing just fine! Give it back bitch!"

"Why don't you just shut the hell up for once in your life? You are getting on everyone's last nerve!"

"Says the socially inept goomba, who has never had a boyfriend!"

"You bitch!" Goombella screamed as she jumped Starlow.

The two found themselves in a full out catfight.

"Stop fighting!" Lakilulu sobbed.

"Settle down you two!" Goompa yelled.

"You guys are acting like immature children! Let me have it!" Bombette said as she got in the middle.

Starlow punched Bombette accidently.

"THAT'S IT!" Bombette screamed as her fuse was lit.

"Bombette, don't do it!" Rosalina shouted.

Bombette exploded out of anger, which destroyed the radio.

Everyone gasped in shock.

"Smooth move ladies," Waluigi snickered.

"No! No! No!" Goompa shouted as he scrambled to put the pieces back together.

The explosion had fried the circuits beyond repair.

"Way to go, hothead!" Starlow shouted to Bombette.

"Me!? You provoked me!"

"Well I had everything under control until Goombella tried to steal the spotlight."

"Shut up Starlow! Quit acting like such a diva! Besides, Rosalina knocked the transmitter out of proportion," Goombella accused.

"That's quite enough! Does anyone not care that a man's life is in jeopardy right now?" Goompa exclaimed.

"I can go after him! Mushroom Bypass is not that far from here," Goombella offered.

"I'll go with her!" Rosalina volunteered.

"What's the point? He's as good as dead out there. Any unarmed idiot willing to walk into Mushroom City deserves to be ripped to shreds," Waluigi said as he walked off.

Lakilulu began to cry.

"Nobody is going anywhere. The roads are far too dangerous to be on. Besides, we don't even know how far up north he is. He could be entering Mushroom City as we speak," Goompa said sadly.

Everyone stared down at the ground in a depressed state.

"Let's agree not to tell Peach about this," Sushie suggested.

Everyone nodded in silence.

…

Princess Peach stood at the edge of the woods. She looked off into the distance. She had made up her mind. She felt a sense of independence build up inside her.

"Daisy is right, I shouldn't dwell on the past anymore. I have decided to forget about Mario," Peach said still staring straight ahead.

A large figure was watching her from the distance.

"Today is the day that I will finally tell him. He has been so sweet and patient with me. I can't believe how close we have become after all these years. I'm finally gonna tell him."

"Tell me what?" the figure asked.

Peach screamed out and nearly lost her balance.

"Bowser, don't sneak up on me like that," Peach said as she tried to calm down.

"I'm sorry. It just worries me when you come out here alone," Bowser said with concern in his eyes.

"I know, you just want to protect me," Peach said with a smile.

"I just want you to be happy," Bowser said as he got really close to Peach.

"Bowser," Peach said softly.

"I know you are still hung up over him. I get it. I just wish I could transform myself into him, just for you," Bowser said as he looked down.

"No!"

Bowser looked up instantly into Peach's eyes.

"I like you just the way you are."

"Does this mean?"

"Yes! I'm ready to move forward with my life. No more looking back. It's now or never."

Peach and Bowser leaned in to share a very passionate kiss.

EOC.

**Hope the chapter was not too overwhelming with the three scenarios. It will be one scenario per chapter, unless it's a flashback sequence from now on.**


End file.
